Why is math essential? or is it?

by zPrevious Student, on April 27th, 2012

Math is one of the subjects that I have the most difficulty with in school. However, I understand the importance of it as a whole in general society and everyday living. We use math when purchasing or selling things, as well as seeing elements of it in nature. We learnt about the golden ratio in class and watched a video about how it can be found in almost everything. For example, the leaves, some vegetation, etc…. Even patterns of math can be found in random squiggly lines. So the importance of general knowledge math is quite easy for everyone to see.

However any deeper math knowledge may not be applicable or necessary for everyone. So after a certain amount of time I think that not everyone has to learn that higher level. What we do learn in maths, I think we should not just learn the theory but also how it can be found in our everyday lives and how it can be applied to our everyday skills.

In a sense, math brings balance to our society. With math we have a set language of numbers that everyone understands and is very easy to define. One is one and two is two. Everyone understands those numbers in the same way. So what I think is that we should all learn math to a certain extent and after that additional knowledge could just be a waste of time. That certain extent depends on the individual and level of education they are willing to go through.

Bertrand Russell on Skepticism

-----------------------

But if philosophy is to serve a positive purpose, it must not teach mere skepticism, for, while the dogmatist is harmful, the skeptic is useless. Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or of ignorance. Knowledge is not so precise a concept as is commonly thought. Instead of saying "I know this," we ought to say "I more or less know something more or less like this."

Your Daily Chinese Character

Comments . . .

. . . are open only to students of the class, but if you are a non-student and would like to comment you can email Mr. MacKnight at ericmacknight AT mac DOT com.

Categories

Categories

Archives

Archives

Search this blog’s content

Is TOK a Philosophy Course?

YES, in the sense that the name of the course itself is in any dictionary effectively synonymous with "epistemology."

NO, in the sense that IB-specific ToK has many philosophical elements, but is not just philosophy. ToK is at root an interdiscipinary course that allows students to become aware of how the six subject-groups on the corners on the Diploma hexagon overlap and integrate. The interdisciplinary aspect is the crucial thing . . . .